Curried Scallops in Cream Sauce
Submitted by jml
Classic Coquilles St-Jacques with a curry twist. Poached scallops in a creamy curry-mushroom sauce, piped into shell dishes with buttery mashed potato borders, then broiled golden. Old-school French elegance.
YIELD
4 servingsPREP
30 minCOOK
30 minREADY
This is proper dinner party cooking with a nod to the classics. Think Coquilles St-Jacques, but with a gentle curry warmth running through the cream sauce.
Scallops get gently poached with lemon and bay leaf, then nestled into their shell dishes in a silky sauce of mushrooms, shallots, and curry powder thickened with a roux and finished with cream. The border? Piped mashed potato, buttery and golden after a quick pass under the broiler.
It’s fussy in the best way. The kind of dish that makes your guests go quiet for a second because they can’t believe you made it at home.
Chef Tips
- Poach the scallops gently. A hard boil toughens them. Keep the water at a bare simmer with tiny bubbles.
- Save every drop of the poaching liquid. It’s your sauce base and carries all the delicate scallop flavor.
- Pipe the potato border using a large star tip for the classic ridged look that browns beautifully under the broiler.
- Watch the broiler like a hawk. The potato tips go from golden to burnt in seconds. Stay close and rotate the dishes if your broiler has hot spots.
Ingredients
Directions
Wash scallops, remove roe.
Pat scallops dry and cut in slices.
Put scallops, water, lemon slice and bay leaf in a saucepan.
Simmer gently 20 minutes.
Strain, reserving liquid.
Discard lemon and bay leaf.
If necessary, add enough water to reserved liquid to make 1¼ cups liquid.
Cook potatoes in boiling, salted water until tender.
Drain and return to pan.
Mash with 1 tablespoon of butter.
Season with salt and pepper.
Beat well; cool slightly.
Transfer to a large pastry bag.
Preheat broiler.
Pipe potato around edges of 4 ceramic scallop dishes.
Melt remaining butter in a saucepan.
Add mushrooms, shallots and curry powder and cook 2 minutes.
Stir in flour and cook 1 minute.
Add reserved liquid and bring to a boil.
Reduce heat and simmer 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
Remove from heat and stir in scallops, cream, parsley, salt and pepper.
Spoon into dishes.
Broil 4 to 5 minutes or until lightly golden.
Garnish with bay leaves, citrus twists and dill sprigs, if desired, and serve hot.
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